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Global Economic Snapshot: Universities Face Funding Clash, China’s Internet Thrives, Japan’s Jobless Rate Climbs
Stock Market News· 2025-10-04 04:08
Group 1: U.S. Universities and Federal Funding Mandate - Nine major U.S. universities are responding to a Trump administration proposal that ties federal funding to specific campus reforms, with a deadline of November 21, 2025 [2][4] - The "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" includes demands such as halting race and gender considerations in admissions, requiring standardized test scores, freezing tuition for five years, and capping international student enrollment at 15% [3] - Universities that sign the compact could receive substantial federal grants and increased overhead payments, but non-compliance could result in the repayment of federal funds [3] Group 2: China's Internet Sector Growth - China's internet sector reported strong revenue growth in the first eight months of 2025, with national online retail sales increasing by 9.6% and online services consumption growing by 18.9% [5][9] - Key product categories such as smart wearables, computers, and mobile phones saw significant online sales growth of 25.2%, 23.7%, and 20.2% respectively [6] - Major internet companies generated approximately 961.3 billion yuan (about US$133.3 billion) in business revenue, marking a 3.1% year-on-year increase, with R&D spending rising by 2.6% to 48.56 billion yuan [6] Group 3: Japan's Labor Market Trends - Japan's jobless rate rose to 2.6% in August, the highest level in 13 months, with a jobs-to-applicants ratio easing to 1.20, indicating a slight decrease in job availability [8][10] - The number of employed individuals decreased by 0.3% to 68.1 million, while the number of unemployed individuals increased by 9.1% to 1.79 million [10] - Voluntary job leavers increased by 13.2% to 770,000, and dismissals rose by 19.4% to 430,000, suggesting companies are cautious in hiring due to budget constraints [10]